From Where We Fell
by Absolutions
Summary: While looking for items to buy in Plumeria City, a Pokemon Trainer named Aiden finds a girl who isn't exactly the definition of human.
1. A New Beginning!

**Since it's early in the story, I've decided to restart it. I realized I wasn't happy with how the other was turning out, and there were a few things I wrote when I was tired that aren't exactly, well, me. Lynne and Aiden will retain their personalities and pasts, for the most part anyway, but the plot will be different.** **Quick notes: None of the names were copied from other stories. I have my own reasons and sources.** **I'm assuming whatever those are on the sides of a Gardie's head are ears**.

FROM WHERE WE FELL

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

"Why isn't there a bike shop around here? Or scooters? I'd take a damn go-kart over walking all over the place." Aiden muttered, getting a little aggravated that the only city that sold bikes was Mauville City, and he'd passed that a few days ago. And of course, this was before he'd earned a little extra money- almost enough to buy a bike. Just a battle or two and it'd be enough. Nearly tripping on a large crack in the sidewalk, he caught himself and kept going, trying to not say a few choice words. Today wasn't exactly his day. He'd almost missed a turn to the plaza he was currently in, Plumeria City. Then he almost lost his backpack at a Poke Center, and it would have been gone for good if not for the elderly man who noticed and took it to the front desk. It was still there when he returned, upon realizing it wasn't on his back. He'd gotten a headache there, from the noise and smog of the larger city. And now his feet were starting to get a little sore from all the walking. Deciding to rest, Aiden sat on a bench and unstrapped his backpack to sit more comfortably on the seat, setting the bag beside him- and not taking an eye off it. Even though he was in a somewhat cramped city (definitely smaller than the earlier metropolis), cars in front of him were honking and accelerating, and there were the sounds of general city-style anarchy, he fell asleep.

O

"Hmmnn…"

"You 'wake?"

"Ummmmyeah what time is it?"

"I don't know."

"Wait, who are you?" the trainer exclaimed, realizing he was talking to someone he didn't even know. He bolted up from his spot and looked around. The sun was setting, and the commotion had calmed down considerably. He'd been sleeping for a good few hours by now. Turning around to face the young woman who surprised him, his face again changed into a look of shock when he realized it was in fact not a young lady at all, but a Gardevoir, looking confused as he was and even a little scared.

"And how are you talking to me?" he demanded, wanting answers and preferably, as soon as possible. Pokémon couldn't speak English, or at least he thought so. The only one he knew of was the one in Team Rocket, but they didn't even have a base of operations in Hoenn, yet.

"S-Sorry," she stammered, I... I just learn some English. I don't know all of it. I'll get better if I'm around people." They were both silent for a minute, and it started to get awkward. She shrugged, and looked away. "Um, I forgot why I was talking to you." They looked at each other again, and her eyes widened.

"What?" They were strangers, so he had no idea what the unknown Gardevoir was doing, but she jumped up and hid behind him, or tried to, anyway.

"What's wrong?" Then he got the feeling it was a nearby person, and somehow, he knew who it was. Assuming it was her Psychic power, he looked in the direction of this person and realized why she might have been scared- now and when she met him. The man seemed like he was perfectly fine, but even without the girl's help he could tell something was definitely wrong under the surface. Not as in depression, or worry, but anger. His mannerisms, the way he walked, the expression on his face- too calm. Why? That was as as hard to figure out as the Pokémon behind his back. She pulled him back into an alley, or more like the shady spot between two buildings.

"Who even are you? And who was that?"

"I don't have a… name. And that was Master, but he's not good."

"Oh…" Now it was Aiden's turn to realize something. "You're running from him because he doesn't treat you well, right?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded, and he sighed. He didn't want to press for details, being that he just met her, but there was really only one thing you could do to make a Pokémon want to run from you, two if it was feminine like Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir… or… if you want a name, I don't know. But, would you rather come with me? I only have a Torchic. So you could come with me as you are right now." She leaned against the wall to consider her options, and it took her a few minutes.

"I… can go with you. And, yes, a name!" She smiled at him.

"Umm, name, name, name. Name. Let's see." There wasn't much in the way of names around here. He didn't want to use a family member or something, and he didn't know too many people. The storefronts were all industrialized names, and it's not like the houses would have one posted on it in flashing lights. But across town, was someplace that had caught his eye. What was it now? Something about science. He'd taken a picture to remember to check it out if he ever came by here again, and remembering this, took out his Pokedex. The massive building had a sign posted outside that read:

 **LYNNE MORGAN SCIENCE CENTER**

"How do you like… Lynne?" the trainer asked, wondering if it would fit her. She checked herself up and down, seemingly thinking the same thing, and nodded.

"It's a pretty name. Yes!"

"Okay, um, are you comfortable with being in a Poke Ball?" She thought for a couple more seconds, remembering what they were like and when she was put in one.

"They're okay." She seemed to be getting better at English already, and he wondered how. Was she reading his mind? Picking up on other's subconscious? Or did she already know it, but just couldn't get the words out right because she was just learning to speak it? That must have been it. Once he started thinking about her, he didn't really stop there. It was quiet for a second, so he looked a little more at her, seeing what she looked like. Anything interesting, rare, unique from other Gardevoir? Her hair was curled around her ears, like others, in the same fern green. But something was missing- her top. She wasn't shirtless, but the green vest-like thing above her dress was gone. He'd always suspected that one could take it off, but never actually seen a Garde without one. Instead of the vest, she was wearing a light-ish red shirt and blue jeans. Not the best color combination, but hey, she had just run away from home. And wait. Blue jeans? Her dress must be gone as well, Aiden realized, but there's no way to take that off! Did she evolve incompletely? Then the teen realized he had zoned out, causing him to blink a few times and widened his eyes at his line of sight- just under her chest. But she wasn't blushing or getting angry, which meant she knew he wasn't looking any higher. Fortunately.

"S-Sorry," he stuttered, looking back up at her face. "I zoned out." She tilted her head, obviously not getting what he was saying. "A-anyway, uh, let's go check you out."

O

"It seems to me that her skill level is extremely low for her maturity. The only thing she knows is Growl, which I'm sure you know, is a Ralts skill." Nurse Joy continued. "But are those scars? What have you been doing to her, young man?" Aiden was equally surprised as she was, but Lynne only looked down. Shame, maybe, or embarrassment that two other people found out already.

"I didn't do anything, honest, I just met her. But Lynne, what were you saying about your master?" Hiding things was not one of her strong suits. Trying to look away wasn't going to work, and neither was just staying quiet. There was one bonus to the situation- her English was improving rapidly because of the emotions in the moment.

"M-My master," she attempted to start, still looking down. "Sometimes he would get really angry at me. N-not very often, but, um, he sometimes hit me with things when he was really angry. A-and.. Sometimes, he would come home with, this like, poison kind of thing in a brown bottle, and he would drink it." Nurse Joy and Aiden looked at each other. Lynne's master was a drinker who abused her.

 **it looked longer on the computer...**


	2. Get 'Em Up!

**Ch.1 should have ended better, but here's hoping this makes up for it. Pretty crazy day for these two…**

 **For people** **like me who are irked by spelling errors: I know it's "holy," but he says it a certain way that draws out the 'y'.**

Chapter 2: Get 'Em Up!

"Holey shit."

"Aiden, please don't use that language in here. Younger trainers come in too."

"Right, right. Sorry," the older trainer amended. He wasn't much older than the others, he was fourteen. He'd started his Pokémon journey four years late because he had stayed in school longer than the others. Not that he had to, of course, but he wanted to have more experience with school related subjects before he ran around the country and not after. His class had made fun of him for leaving sooner than they, but the joke was on them. He wouldn't have to go back in a few years.

"Really? You're telling the truth?" Nurse Joy asked tenderly as if her patient was an emotional time bomb. In a way, she was, but not as if she'd go insane. It was something she just didn't want to remember, and- even if she was a Pokémon, he concluded- she should still be able to have her secrets, if that was the word. Aiden was the kind of person who agreed with what many others were saying about Pokémon, that they deserved as much respect as humans did.

"Nurse? Is anyone here?" This was coming from the front desk.

"Yes, sir, I'm here," Nurse Joy called back as she strode to the front. "What is it?"

"I'm looking for a lost Pokémon," he answered, which got Aiden's attention. He jogged to the front desk behind the Nurse only to stop short. This person was the one who Lynne had 'pointed out'- this gave him an idea.

"Nurse Joy? You're needed back there! Urgently!" Joy sighed and returned to the back room with Aiden, who immediately grabbed her shoulders in desperate-ness.

"The guy you're talking to-"

"-was master," Lynne finished quietly, still sitting on the table.

"Really? What do you want me to do?" Joy sighed again and rubbed her forehead, clearly stressed at the revelation. Aiden crossed his arms looking down, as if it was obvious. It kinda was.

"Make an arrest. I'll help Lynne press charges."

"Right. I'll go take care of that."

The topic of interest looked at her arms, the scars still evident, then looked back up determined. "I'll do whatever that is." Aiden let out a small laugh and jumped up on the doctor's table beside her to explain. "See, Lynne, charges are like records of bad things a person has done. If we press charges to your master for abuse, we might be able to put him in jail for hurting you." She shrugged like it made sense, and made even more sense to put Master in jail- wherever that was. They watched Joy stall this 'master' person for a few minutes, getting records and signs made for the Pokémon who would decide the next portion of his life. Police sirens were fading in, getting louder as they drew nearer to the Center, to which the man looked up from the papers confused. Lynne almost instinctively put her arms around Aiden as a result of the fear she still had. He hugged her back, hoping it wouldn't be awkward in a moment when everything had blown over, observing the scene not a few meters away. There was a conversation between the man and the police, some shouting, but finally he was led away in handcuffs, until he was taken in. Relieved as well as still a little nervous, Lynne moved over even closer on the table to rest her head on his shoulder. She felt a little awkward, but it seemed like she could trust him for now.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, um, sure?" Aiden said shakily, the tension just now wearing off, until his pocket started vibrating. Lynne kept hugging him, but he had to pause to answer the call- someone wanted him.

"Hey mom. Oh, something crazy just happened. Can I tell you some other time? Besides, I need someone to help me tell it. Really? That's awesome, thanks! Okay. Love you too. Bye..!" He turned to the girl who had still not let go yet. "So guess what?"

"What?" She seemed less stressed and loosened her grip.

"My mom is sending me some money, as some extra to spend, but we gotta go to the bank."

"Whatever," she shrugged once more, and scooted off the table. Aiden slipped off after her then walked out of the back room to thank Nurse Joy for her help.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's a crime that shouldn't be taken lightly, as if any of them should be."

"You're right, and I'm sorry to leave so quickly, but we have to get to the bank," the teen explained, motioning for Lynne to follow. "See you."

"Yeah, come back soon." He held the door open, something his parents had taught him to do, then followed the young woman out the door. The bank was just down the street, since the Pokémon Centers were pretty much the hub of cities. The ones he'd been to, anyway. Finding it was no trouble, and once inside, it wasn't very busy. It wasn't long, either, before they were at the front desk.

"This is a robbery, now get down on the floor!" The doors burst open behind Lynne, and she understood. She and Aiden got to her knees, like the rest of the customers, and waited. "All right." The one that seemed like the leader smirked. "We gotta gang of good little boys and girls, hm? Nobody gonna act up?" He noticed Lynne and moved over to her. "I'm sure no one'd notice if one little Gardie went missing," he contemplated out loud, not caring who heard him or what he planned to do with her. The gangster put his hand under her chin and lifted her head to look at him, checking her up and down with his desire for her written all over his unkempt face. "Sure you wouldn't mind coming with us fine gentlemen?" She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, not wanting to see what would happen, not daring to do anything when they had guns and she barely had basic skills. "All right. Enough wasting time. Safe?" He stood, addressing the bankers who opened a large door and rushed inside- hoping they'd get to go home safely today. Aiden looked to his left, where Lynne was kneeling- key word being _was_. The leader had already entered the safe, leaving his gang to watch everyone. Quite unfortunately, one of them noticed, pointing a gun in the direction of her previous spot.

"Wasn't there a chick there? The one the boss was eyeing?"

"Thought so. Why? Whatcha think, she just gonna up and disapp-" Aiden had turned around albeit still on his knees, but he got to see the 'chick' lay him out on the floor with a clean blow to the side of the neck. He wasn't dead, just unconscious. His partner whipped to the side in shock while raising his pistol and aiming straight at the side of her head.

"Lynne! No!"

And she was gone.

Aiden looked on in pure shock. So did everyone else- it shouldn't have turned out like that. The henchman looked around stunned as the hostages, what happened? She should have died, not just disappeared. Making a mistake one should never make when holding up a place, he lowered his gun confusedly. Just after he did, his target twisted his arm behind him and removed the firearm while sweeping his legs out from under him and putting him on the floor as well. The gang leader finally stormed out of the safe with his bag of green, visibly (and somewhat understandably) aggravated.

"What the hell are you idiots doing? How did you even-" He didn't finish his sentence either, especially after the right cross Lynne threw. He rubbed his jaw, getting more angered by the second. Attempting to throw a jab did nothing, since she was already gone. Aiden was as stunned as the crook from before- didn't she have next to no fighting skill? She was beside him now and began a left hook at his head, again, but this time he saw her out of the corner of his eye and intercepted the punch, gripping her wrist tightly then twisting her to her knees. Even at this point, she'd be unable to teleport, high skill or not. Teleport was best used in situations of adrenaline like just then, or calm, as in getting your trainer to the Pokémon Center. But now, she was in pain, and it was next to impossible to teleport when you weren't able to think straight. At that moment, her only priority was to get away. Kicking was useless, and she could hardly punch in that position. Aiden wanted to help- sure, he was fourteen, and a fourteen-year-old taking on a guy like this probably wasn't a hot idea. But someone he knew was in trouble, and standing by wasn't something he liked doing. It was hard to be quiet, but he managed to get up.

"You're not being very cooperative," the offender snarled, twisting her wrist a little further.

"S-Stop," Lynne pleaded, "you could break it!"

"Just like you almost broke my jaw?"

"Just like I'm gonna break your jaw if you don't let her go."

"Aiden?" Lynne gasped; clearly surprised the boy she'd practically just met would keep defending her. "D-don't do anything stupid!"

"I think it's too late for that..."

"Hah! What exactly do you think you're going to do to me? You, a skinny, weak and useless kid?"

"Okay, that's it!" Aiden yelled, and, centimeters within his leg being caught, gave a swift kick to the robber's shoulder. This had a positive effect in that he let go of Lynne, but now his attention was on Aiden- who really was kind of skinny and not that muscular. Aiden tried to sidestep the crook's jump, but it didn't work, and a microsecond later they were on the floor, wrestling, even though it was clear who the winner would be. Aiden finally got them to stop, although he was on the bottom and consequently, pinned down to be the receiving end of the attack- being choked. A customer made her way cautiously but quickly to the teller window then reached over to press the alarm system. By this time, Aiden was nearly being knocked unconscious, but Lynne finally saw a chance and jumped for it- quite literally. She dealt a blow to the side of his neck like she'd done with the lesser criminal before, only this was with all the power she had. He fell limp and thankfully, off of Aiden and not on top of him. The Gardevoir helped the human up, as everyone in the bank stood up to congratulate the two kids who had just saved their money. A few minutes later the police were again rounding the corner.

O

"What were you thinking?" Aiden demanded, a little angry she would do something so dangerous, even with the idea of 'justification by outcome'. They were outside the bank now, deciding where to go next- after this was settled.

"I-I"

"Look," Aiden sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I'm proud of you for stopping them, but, you almost died. And I almost did as well. Not only that, you're tired, I can tell." His expression softened when he realized the day was probably harder on her than it was on him. He'd barely done anything except for taking the heat off his friend, but she'd forced her skills.

"I-I'm sorry, master… it won't happen again. It was.. it just came to me how to fight." _Her submissive side from that other guy is showing,_ he recognized and felt even worse.

"No, Lynne, it's okay. I'm not like that master person, whatever his name is. I'm not gonna hit you. And I'm not your master, I'm barely even your trainer at this point. Hey, I'll tell you what. I'll take you out tonight, to celebrate today. You were amazing in that fight," he said, hoping compliments would make her feel better. She smiled a little, so it was working apparently. "And now you feel better about whoever that was who hurt you." Her smile widened as Aiden checked his watch. "Well, it's only 5:19, so we can get supper now, and then I don't know, get some new clothes for you and supplies for me with this extra money."

"Mmkay," the Gardevoir agreed, waiting for something to happen. It quickly got awkward when Aiden didn't know what to say next.

O

The trainer and Pokémon were eating and talking a little at one of the small family-owned restaurants that were quite rare in a large city like Plumeria, until someone came up to their table.

"Nice. You're into Pokémon just like everyone else." Aiden glared at them.

"I most certainly am not, we're celebrating a victory today."

"Or… you're covering up because this is the best you could do." He looked at Lynne, who was staring back with a hurt look in her eyes. Standing up, he addressed the stranger.

"I'm not-

"What, defending her so later you two can ban-" The offending person's sentence was cut short when Aiden leaned close to their face and said, voice low- "I am certainly not taking her on a date, I am taking her out to celebrate accomplishing something that nearly cost us both our lives. Now, if you don't want me to test your resistance level to my fist, I suggest you annoy someone else." Said annoying person backed off raising their hands.

"I'm just making a joke, Arceus. Lighten up." Aiden sat back down heavily to continue the supper. Lynne's wasn't much, just some Pokémon food. He didn't expect her to like human food yet, or know about forks and spoons. But maybe in time, it would come.

 **I'm not sure how good I am at writing action scenes...**


	3. Telling The Truth

**I'm going to tone down the action in this one. I know, I know, the last chapter had too much. It's the failed endgame of trying to smash two chapters into one. However, let me remind you that in the anime, Ash catches two Pokemon and wins a battle in one episode.**  
(also **, i really hope that color guide wasnt lying about green/purple being okay together)**

"For real though," Aiden started, "I think you were awesome in the bank. If you hadn't done anything, all that money would have been stolen."  
"Yeah, um, thank you." Lynne nodded then returned to her supper, only now feeling out of place. The table fell silent for a little while until Aiden finished his food and waited for Lynne, who was almost done. _She eats like a Torchic_ , he noticed.  
"I'm going to get something small for dessert, since we'll be leaving soon. You want, uh, a Poke Puff?" The Psychic-type looked up, and for all her smarts, didn't remember ever being introduced to the concept of dessert. But the Poke Puff rang a bell, she'd had them before.  
"Okay, if you want."  
"Hey, it's fine. I'm getting something too." _Why is he being so nice to me? We just met like four hours ago and he's buying me dinner? Is this actually a date? Or… is he just overdoing the whole 'make a friend' thing? We didn't meet through a wild battle, so he's probably trying to weirdly make up for it._  
 _"Here you go."_  
"Thank you." She noticed he bought something for himself, and another puff for what she guessed, was either for later or his partner. Or is that what they call cupcakes? Her Poke Puff was soft, moist. Almost like a donut in texture, but the taste was more like a sweet fruit, oranges or strawberry maybe.  
"Is it good?"  
"Mmhmm…"  
Once they had finally finished everything, Aiden shouldered his bag again having already stood up, and paying the bill, he took her arm in a hurry.  
"Come on! I want to get to these places so we can get somewhere to sleep." The Gardevoir whose wrist he was holding had a faint blush spread across her cheeks, until he let go once they were outside. She was shy, so of course, the blush was almost unavoidable at some point or another. Her friend, however, was just happy about one part of city travel: everything was (almost) always stationed around the Pokémon Center, including the shops. A larger store was what he was hoping to find, and sure enough there was one down the block. A few people were looking strangely at the pair, as if having a partner Pokémon was unheard of. Then again, trainers of Gardevoir were notorious for what happened between them. Trainers who sexually abused them were being put on the news all the time. He knew he wouldn't do that, unfortunately, not everyone did. He laughed as a thought crossed his mind, if they think that's bad, they should have seen thirty seconds ago I was nearly holding her hand.  
"Oooh!" Aiden was jolted out of his thoughts by Lynne's gasp at the store window. What she was focusing on, however, was not exactly what he'd expected. A lavender sweater. A bright lavender sweater. He didn't hide his surprise at her shock well.  
"Really? You want that? I thought you'd be, more into, like, a cool Pokéball or something."  
"I want this."  
"Okay?" he consented hesitantly, but the price didn't allow for much else in the way of clothes (for her, anyway). He'd already set a reasonable limit, and this just went over. But he did want to make her happy after her very recent accomplishment, although he'd have to take his Torchic out on a field day like this too since he would be left out. "Just let me check your pants, okay? Cause that sweater costs a lot, but it'll be okay if we don't get you anything else." Her jeans seemed fine, a little dirty around the bottom, but otherwise it was like she got them new. They probably were, considering they were men's jeans, added to where and who she was running from. Though it was a miracle they stayed on her, they would work. For now. They went in together to check the sweater out, and it seemed like a good fit for her. It went well with her fern green hair and her navy jeans, so there were no color issues. It would be great in the fall as well, keeping her warm- well, her top half anyway. Flipping up her shirt collar for the size tag reduced her to a 5'3" tomato, but luckily for her there were changing stalls.  
"Here, go in this room and try the sweater on. You got it?"  
"Umm, y-yeah," she hesitated as Aiden showed her how the door lock worked. A few minutes later a newly-sweatered Lynne emerged from the changing room nervous and a little self-conscious.  
"D-Does it look good?"  
"Uh.. yes."  
"Thank you again," she looked down, realizing she'd made the situation awkward.  
"Uh, yeah, well I'm going to go get some stuff for me if you want to come. I have to buy that anyway."  
"Sure," his customer agreed, composure regained, then pulling the sweater up while holding down her shirt. "Here you go."  
"Woah!" Lynne jumped when she heard the excited yell from behind her. "Is that a Gardevoir? With clothes? What happened to her dress? Can she speak English? How smart is she? Like do you know her IQ? When did she last evolve?" It took the surprised Pokémon a minute to realize someone was checking her out, more accurately a young brunette in a white dress shirt and thin black glasses that gave her the look of a professional; even though she couldn't have been much older than Aiden.  
"Meghan? You're here?" This was a surprised question from the aforementioned trainer.  
"Oh, yeah," she popped up from a crouch, "I was looking for the Science Center, and I saw this store, so I thought maybe they'd have a book on Pokémon or something, so naturally I went in to check, but they did-"  
"Okay, stop. Lynne, this tornado of speech is Meghan. We had class together last year, and she likes psychology. Meghan, this is Lynne. We just met today. We're here to celebrate something we did together."  
"What did you guys do?"  
"Stopped a bank robbery." Meghan laughed at his honesty.  
"Yeah, right. You?"  
"I'm serious!" Aiden insisted, but his classmate kept laughing.  
"I doubt that. But really, Lynne is a very interesting one. Does she speak English?"  
"I certainly do," Lynne said defensively to which Meghan smiled, one of those almost-cheesy smiles some people do in group photos. She was definitely a cheerful person, though with grins like that she could be taken as fake or someone who tries too hard.  
"Awesome! How did you learn? How long did it take? What was the most challeng-"  
"Meghan," Aiden sighed, cutting her off again. "I think I know where that science center is. It's a few blocks north of here. We can show you there if you want."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. It's building number 2564, I think."  
"Super awesome! Pass me your Pokedex."  
"Here. Map's under-"  
"No, silly, I'm putting my number in! I'll call you later. Maybe we can battle."  
"S-sure?" Aiden's cheeks were starting to tint, and remained that way for a few minutes after Meghan ran to the science center Lynne had been named after. He stared at his partner, who stared back, equally astonished.  
"She's… different," Lynne commented, although not without irony.  
"No kidding," Aiden agreed. "You should have seen her in Psych class."  
"Psych?"  
"Short for Psychology, it's like, studying people's brains and stuff. What makes 'em tick."  
"Tick?"  
"Never mind."  
"I think she liiikes you."  
"S-shut up! How would you know?"  
"I'm Psychic. Come on."  
"Oh right. Wait, what?"  
"Nothiiing..!"  
Sighing was going to do nothing, and neither was bugging her to tell him. She was probably just trying to tease me anyway. Of course, she must know what it is... If sighing and begging wasn't going to work, walking away would at least get them off the topic. So with a spring in his step trying to look extra happy to bug her, Aiden walked determinedly to the Pokémon supply aisle.  
"Hey! Aideenn! Wait for me!"

*Lynne's POV*

I hadn't been completely honest about Master and it was really bugging me once we got on the path out of the city. Truthfully, he had hurt me but…  
"Aiden, wait a minute."  
"What's up?" he asks, turning to me as he walks.  
"I need to tell you something." I take his hand to make him stop walking, and it works, he stopped, so I hold on for a moment to make sure he stays. I just need to get his attention with the story.  
"Master- well, his name was Ben- he wasn't all bad." He narrows his eyes in suspicion, and I don't blame him. So I might as well explain.  
"When we met, I was.. a Ralts. I- I could tell he cared about me, and well… we were good friends until just a few months ago."  
"Sounds like Stockholm Syndrome." He starts walking again as he said this so naturally, I let go of him but follow.  
"Don't know what that is, but whatever. He didn't train me much, we just hung out with his team. I think he was more of a trainer when he was younger and by the time we met, he'd rather have stayed in the city with a job." I can tell he's opening up more, seeing the point as I go on. He's not the only one opening up, because as I continue, the words are coming to me more easily. "You already don't like him, I know, but he's the one who helped me start learning to talk like you. And didn't you notice anything interesting at the restaurant? How I was using whatever you call those little metal food things I forgot the name of?"  
"English. Wait, you were?" Astonishment was the next emotion to come up. Either that or he wasn't paying attention to detail back there.  
"Yes. Back to what I was saying, though. I did help him out, as did the entire team. We would get things for him every now and then if he asked, do a few tasks, you know, just… being nice, doing it because we care about him. But then he started coming home, what did you call it? Drunk? When he did, he wasn't as nice. But he didn't hurt us, and it didn't happen often so it was okay. But then it did start happening more often, and he was being mean to us, me especially. I think I was one of the favorites, and then it carried over into that. Well, you know what happened eventually. He hurt me, and I ran away. And, even with, these, honestly-" I break character for a moment- "I miss when we were friends."  
"Lynne," he starts, seeming to be walking a little faster for the approaching nightfall, "maybe he still can be your friend. Maybe you can get back together and be like you used to. But he needs help right now, and time."  
"I know, I know that," I say, my voice breaking, "But you know what I mean. It's not fun when someone you care about does, does this." We both know what I mean, and he nods. "I just feel like, maybe if I had been better, maybe been nicer, or done more, he wouldn't have had to turn to drinks." He sighs, and I start worrying I said the wrong thing.  
"It's not your fault. Never was, and it isn't now. Maybe you could have been a little better, I don't know what happened back there. But if he started drinking, it wouldn't be because his best friend was a little bitchy. Maybe it was work trouble. Maybe he was in a relationship you didn't know about. But if you were his best friend, and nothing bad happened between you, there's no way it's your fault." I don't have any idea what he's trying to do, but his words are very welcome. My question is, why? Is he just trying to be a good friend? What's his reason? Even though he's super nice, I don't trust him nearly enough to show that much emotion around him, however. So I nod and smile, ruefully nonetheless, hoping he doesn't notice.

*Aiden's POV*

She seems nervous, and I start feeling worried. Maybe this was too much. Dinner, shopping, an evening walk? Granted, this was to set up camp, but I don't know if she knows that yet. If she takes this as a date, I'm in for a bit- no, a lot- of trouble. Once we arrive at a trainer's clearing (what I call a spot that's flat and usually has campfire remains) I start setting up while Lynne talks to Torchic, who I just let out. It's not much, just a sleeping bag and-

I don't have a sleeping bag for her.

Then again, she's probably fine in a Ball.

"Hey," I call over, while trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I wish I knew I'd meet her before I packed my stuff.  
"Yeah!" She's distracted by Torchic. Maybe she won't notice.  
"You mind going in a Pokéball?" Didn't I ask this already?  
"No, it's fine!" I think they're practicing non-direct moves or something. Great. Just have to get a little firewood. A few sticks and leaves will do, and they're not in shortage around here. Once everything is ready I call them over for a seat by the fire, and for Torchic to light one with Ember. Lynne tells me she's hungry, which I don't entirely believe since we both ate like, 45 minutes ago, and I'm not very hungry. But if she says she's hungry, well, it's probably about supper time anyway. Torchic will need food as well, which is why I find myself sitting in front of a fire cooking their food while they go do whatever it is Pokémon do in their free time. And just as I think about this, I notice the food is pretty much ready so setting it down, I call them but get no response.  
"Lynne! Torchic! Hey!" Silence. "Food is done!" Dead silence. When I walk out to the path I can see her holding Torchic talking to someone. For Arceus' sake, she shuts up around me, but when a traveller comes around wait a second is that who I think it is!?  
"Aiden! HI!"  
Meghan must have finished her stuff around the same time we did. And taken the same route we did. _And picked the same site we did_. This cannot be coincidence. No way in hell this was all coincidence. I'm almost sure-  
"So what are you doing? Why set up out here when there are hotels in the city?" I don't know what to say, it's a good point. But I do want to get going in the morning, so I tell her that.  
"Makes sense. Can I sleep here? You already have a fire and your Pokémon seem to be having a good time."  
"Um."  
"Umm." Seems like Lynne agrees with me.  
"Or I could go back and go to a hotel. It's fine, I just saw her and figured-"  
"Uh, no, it's fine!" Here I go again , getting in over my head. I'd feel like a jackass if I straight up told her no, even if I'd feel extremely awkward with her sleeping by me. Though, I understand, if I saw someone I knew, I'd rather be around them than go in a hotel room alone. But sleeping next to? That would be a little different. Well, unless it was, like, Lynne, or Torchic, because nobody minds when a Pokémon is near a sleeping person. Weird, isn't it?  
"So I can?" I realize I've been staring at her legs for fifteen seconds now, thinking about her. Ironic. And a little creepy.  
"Yeah, uh, just set up your stuff a little ways from ours and, well, come to the fire if you want."

 **So I've started working on 4, at least...**


	4. Rain On The Parade

**Note: Thanks so much to SavageBeasttheWerewolf for telling me this chapter was corrupted! FF can't post links, apparently. I can still tell you what the site was, though: look up "Children inherit their intelligence from their mother not their father, say scientists". It's on .uk.**

 **Chapter 4 (Let's try this again..)**

 **Rain On The Parade**

"Hey," Aiden whispered fiercely at Lynne, "what do I do?"

"Do what?"

"That's what I'm asking you! She's sleeping at our campsite tonight!"

"Who? Meghan?"

"Yes, Lynne, Meghan is camping with us. What am I gonna do? I'd feel like a jerk saying no, so-

"To calm down is a start," she instructed, "which is a good idea, she's right behind you."

"What-!"

"Hey again, Aiden!"

"I thought you went to the fire!"

"Yeah I did, but you guys were over here so I'd rather be over here than at a fire by myself!"

"Then who's watching the fire?!"

"Your Torchic. I wouldn't leave it a _lone_ , sill-"

"Yeah, but this bird is practically made of fire!" With that, he ran back to the flame to tend it, and make sure Torchic didn't burn the whole forest down by accident. These things happened. Not often, of course, but some forest fires started in the weirdest ways.

"Are all your talks like that?" Lynne asked tentatively, unsure if her 'new friends' were friends with each other, or, just two crazy people.

"Pretty much," Meghan confirmed her suspicion, but seemed a little… let down, if that was the correct phrase. She could tell there was a desire to be better friends with Aiden. It's not like she was a master at sensing emotions or using her powers yet, hell, the bank scene had been a stroke of luck and a good memory of the few things Ben _had_ taught her. They both sighed almost in unison, but for different reasons. "See, Lynne, about Aiden. There's a something you gotta know about him."

"Okay."

"He is oblivious sometimes. He's a good guy, but he just doesn't notice a whole lot of things. When I leave for my own journey, you're probably going to have to be his eyes. There's this stereotype of men that says they're blind to everything- well, the person who made it probably knew Aiden."

"Alright."

"So," she continued, "why are you traveling with him anyway? Did you meet him in a wild battle?"

"We met in the city." She didn't bother to lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either and they both knew it. However, seeing the shields go up in the Gardevoir's words, Meghan went no further. She was curious to know, how they met, how she could speak like this, everything strange. But Pokémon or person, she had something private, and licensed psychologist Meghan was not. So they dropped it, letting the silence fall on them instead. Meghan began drawing in the dirt with a stick while Lynne watched, interested at what she'd create. Just a few symbols, a Pokéball, some of the Type-signs.

"Ah, shit!" Lynne's head bolted up from the drawing as did Meghan's to see what Aiden was yelling about. They didn't have to wait long, he crashed out the brush holding two bowls and panting out of breath.

"What was that about?"

"I, forgot, you had, food ready."

"See what I mean?" Meghan pointed out to which Lynne nodded in agreement. He passed them the dishes, nothing special- canned soup with a package of crackers he probably stashed from a restaurant. Lynne had no clue how to use the crackers, so just ate her soup without- feeling Mareepish when she noticed Meghan tear it open and crush them over the main course. She'd noticed her trainer do it before, thought nothing of it, and now she was stuck with these things.

"Maybe we should sit with him," she suggested as she stood.

"Uh, no, I'll stay here. You can, though." A perfectly puzzled Pokémon, the Psychic took up her bowl to sit with Aiden, who'd been alone tending the flame for some time.

"Hey."

"Oh, hi, Lynne. Is Meghan coming here too?"

"No, she's.. staying back."

"That's weird."

"Yes."

"Um, hi," Meghan greeted a little nervously, a few minutes later. "I changed my mind. Do you care if I sit with you?"

"Sure! Why wouldn't we?"

"I dunno," she sighed, sitting heavily next to Aiden, "I thought you didn't want me to come at all." If he thought he felt like an ass before, it was nothing compared to now.

"No, it's not that, I just- I don't- I've never slept with a girl like this."

"Sleep with a girl-! What the _f_ -"

"No! Nonono! Not sleep with but you know, like camp with!"

"Oh," Meghan calmed down but crossed her arms anyway. "You shoulda.. just... said that."

"You alright?" Lynne spoke up again, noticing the usually-hyper teen was getting a little short of breath.

"Y-yeah, I just.. need some fresh air." She stood, but it was a little too much at once, and consequently collapsed back onto the log.

"Meghan! Are you okay?"

"M-my bag," she gasped for breath, pointing at her vinyl bag, "over there." Aiden ran to get it, tossing it to Lynne, who passed it along to Meghan. She hurriedly took a small device out, pressing it to her mouth and holding the button down while trying to tell the others that the fire was the cause of her agony. Once Lynne figured out what she was trying to say (because there's no way Aiden would), she dumped his bucket of water over the fire.

"Hey! We still need to go the rest of the night with that!"

"I know that!"

"I'm so sorry," Meghan coughed, finally catching some breath, "I can't be around fire. It's asthma. Maybe I should go back and find a hotel."

"Are you crazy? It's almost dark, you have to stay with us."

"But you nee-"

"Never mind that. You can't expect to walk all the way back to the city without anything happening."

"I promise I'll be careful!"

"Other people won't!" Aiden yelled in return, and Meghan sighed, knowing she had lost. Whether she wanted to or not, she'd be sleeping at Aiden's campsite. "I'm going to bed."

Everyone slowly woke to the rumbling thunder not too far off in the distance, and then all

at once when tiny droplets of water hit their faces.

"Aiden?"

"Yeah?"

"It's raining."

"I know."

"Oh no! No..!" Even though it was still dark out, Aiden could see Meghan's face go pale with realization.

"What? What is it?"

"My _shirt_! If the rain doesn't stop by tomorrow morning, I won't be able to get out of my sleeping bag!"

"What's wrong with your shirt?"

"It's _white_!"

"What's wrong with a white shirt…"

"Aiden- when a white shirt gets wet, you can _see through it_!" she cried, quite obviously angry and frustrated at this new development.

"Oh, right, right," he said quickly, having lost his train of thought. "You didn't bring any clothes with you, did you?"

"No, I didn't think I'd need any yet…"

 _Floof._

"What's this?"

"Just take it. I don't need a sweater in summer."

"Aiden, I can't-"

"Just put it on."

"Hey, Aiden?" Lynne asked, the first thing she'd said in a while- including the night before.

"What is it?"

"Can _I_ get up?"

"You have your sweater. You'll be fine. Can we just go to sleep?" He sunk into his thoughts, and his sleeping bag, wishing tents could fit in backpacks. They'd be awkwardly close, but warm and dry. For the next few minutes his mind fell apart a little with questions and thoughts, as everyone's does when they're about to fall asleep. Would Meghan want to travel with them? Was she interested in Lynne because of the psychology? What was the deal with her, anyway? How did she learn English now that her trainer couldn't teach her?

The morning was almost identically as dismal as the night before, though not as dark. Rain came down in the same pace it had been since the travelers were woken by it, but on a plus side there wasn't much wind. It wasn't a terrible storm one couldn't see through, but the drops were coming down at a decent pace. Meghan shivered in her sleeping bag, half awake, wishing it was a clear day. She sat up without remembering the thing about white shirts she'd been so insistent about, but quickly recalled before it was drenched to transparency and slipped her arms through Aiden's sweater. Funny. It smelled good, like cologne maybe, but he was _certainly_ not the type to wear it. Maybe it was just that he'd recently washed it...

"Good morning," his voice startled her from the log that she'd thrown her sleeping bag beside.

"Oh. Good morning. What's wrong? You sound sad."

"Nothing," he exhaled, "but my dad doesn't really care for rain and I guess it reminded me of him. Or maybe, he's just rubbing off on me."

"I see," Meghan nodded. She thought for a moment, then smiled. "My mom loves them. She says rain helps you forget everything the world makes you remember."

"She sounds like a smart lady."

"She is. She really is," she giggled then, as she sat up to move to the log; "where do you think I got all my smarts from? Hey, did you know, it's actually proven that children get their intelligence from their mothers?"

"Yeah right," Aiden laughed, thinking she was just saying it because of her mother.

"No really, it's because of X chromosomes. Women have two, and guys have only one. I'm serious."

"Where do you even hear this stuff?"

"I have my sources." He smiled and shook his head, still not believing her, even though it did make a little sense. It was equal, wasn't it?

"Hey, where's Lynne?"

"Hi," her shaky voice drifted from over by the bushes. "Jus' over here."

"Did you sleep without a sleeping bag or a Poke Ball?" Aiden exclaimed, shocked she would do that- why not just ask for one?

"Do you think she'd get a sleeping bag if she was a wild Pokémon?"

"Yeah, Aiden, we jjus.. sleep on the floor."

"Arceus, you're still tired?"

"Mmhmm." She soon fell back asleep.

"So hey, what do you want to do today? I figure we won't be able to get much done in this rain, and it would suck to walk around like this. Why don't we just stay here till it stops raining?" She slipped the elastic off her ponytail, and then shook her hair free in the downpour.

"I guess," her friend agreed, seeing there really was no point in doing anything today.

"Thanks for letting me wear your sweater. It's comfortable."

"Yeah, sure. I know I'd hate to be stuck in a sleeping bag all day." She hugged him tightly, but Aiden wasn't all that surprised or blushing- this was just her personality. Happy, fun, upbeat, euphoric, eccentric, possibly insane were a few ways to put it. It contrasted a little with his more relaxed moods, but they got along fine.

"You're really nice. That's good."

"I guess," he shrugged. A hug from her was a) not uncommon and b) actually still kinda nice. It was always a little of a letdown when she pulled back, this time being no exception.

 **Well, we all know what happened last time I pasted a link here.**


	5. Relaxation

**It's going to be Aiden's birthday on the 16th! (Sorry for the chapter being** ** _super_** **short).**

Two days.

 _There had been two days of rain._

This trip was not off to a good start, so far. The mild storm, which had gradually turned into a vicious downpour, let up just half an hour ago prior to the group deciding to pack up and start moving on for the next city.

"Aiden, do you think we should get our clothes washed?" Meghan pressed, shivering even though she was still wearing his sweater. The cold had stuck around a little longer than the rain, gusts of wind slitting their already-cold skin like a butterknife; not enough to hurt much unless there was already an injury.

"I'm still cold," Lynne added with a sniffle- whether it was for effect or if she really _was_ catching a cold was almost indistinguishable. It was a little harder to tell with Pokémon, since they just didn't want to be an inconvenience or in the way. If they were really sick they'd find a way to tell you, but most thought 'small' sicknesses like colds were unimportant. Then there was Lynne, who apparently would rather use a cold to her advantage. The fact she was learning English made it that much easier.

"Yeah, whatever," Aiden sighed to Meghan's question, his posture slumping a little with discouragement. "Lynne, you'll be dry in a few minutes." They sloshed through the puddles without another word, legs slowly catching water and letting it go again, back to the ground, staining pants with browns and greens in nature's way of making itself known to those who adventured in it. The soft scent of rain still hung in the air, relaxing and reminding the travelers of home; days spent with family as the dismal weather outside kept them in the reassuring house. Aiden felt homesick suddenly, thinking of his father, mother, wanting to turn back and run to them, back to safety and comfort instead of the cold unforgiving harshness of the cities and the wild itself. But he knew he couldn't. He wouldn't leave them hanging, even with what was at stake. Besides, this is what he'd wanted to do for the longest time since he'd started school: he had a good friend and someone who could become a great friend- and isn't that all someone like him needed to be happy?

"Aiden?" Lynne finally broke the silence after a few minutes. For someone who was so shy just a few days ago, she talked more than he'd expected. Technically, she shouldn't be talking at _all,_ the fact that she could was a surprise in itself. "I'm kinda wet," she announced, as if the other two walking beside her weren't. Aiden froze in his tracks and Meghan giggled in shock once she caught the unintended connotation, but then the moment passed as soon as it had come.

"We all are. What are you trying to say?"

"I don't have those," she pointed, referring to their shoes. Well, that made a lot more sense. His feet were damp, yes- shoes didn't keep out everything- but _her legs_ were going right into the water. _They must be numb with cold,_ he realized at the same time as Meghan.

"So what are we going to do?" the trainer asked. "She won't be able to wear shoes, and even if she could, we don't have any. We'll have to wait until the next town, which isn't for another few miles."

"You could give her a piggyback ride," Meghan suggested with a smirk she didn't even try to hide and a gleam in her eye. "You know what that is, don't you?" she said, turning to Lynne.

"No," she responded, hoping it would be a good thing by the way the other girl was looking at her.

"You get on his back and he gives you a ride. It's really fun."

"Oh no." Aiden didn't disagree with the last part, but giving her a ride? _Really?_ He only now grasped Meghan's cruelty. She still wasn't attempting to cover up her evil grin, as their friend was contemplating the idea. Walk in dirty, muddy puddles or get a free ride at the cost of someone _else_ 's stamina? The decision was easy. As they began walking again, Aiden glared back at the girl who apparently had a pretty good hold on him so far, though not as physically as the one on his back.

"That was the worst walk, ever, of all, time."

"Wow, Aiden, you're so polite."

" _You_ carry her the next two miles." The exhausted friend glared at her again for a second, then let Lynne down onto the ground, where she was now perfectly content- and dry. "Is that better, Your Highness?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Thank," Lynne smiled, puzzling Aiden for a second. Did she mean-

"Thank _you_?"

"No, you."

"I mean, that's how you say it. Thank _you_. Oh, and you're welcome." He was surprised when she gave him a hug- with Meghan, it was no big deal. Like he'd said before, that was just _her._ But Lynne? Not really. _Maybe she's opening up more with us. We're being her friend, and besides, we're probably closer to her age anyway._ It made him feel a little better, though, to know he'd made her happy. He knew any good relationship was based on trust, and this meant he was likely getting hers. She strode away with a spring in her step toward the middle of the town toward one of the only places that was almost a staple of any homey village or bustling city: the Pokémon Center. Aiden and Meghan followed behind, spirits lifted a little by another's happiness and hoping the rest of the day would follow suit especially since the last two hadn't been in ideal conditions. The ambient, mellow atmosphere in the Center never had a negative effect on anyone, either. Aiden restocked on supplies again while Meghan sat back on the vinyl lined bench to see if anything interesting was on the news. Aiden's ears perked up when he heard the telltale melody of the news channel, interest piqued as well.

"Our most recent story, a local trainer, Ben Lee, was released from police custody yesterday after being taken in on accounts of assault and battery to a Lynne, with no recorded surname. However, no witnesses or evidence were provided. In other news, the national sensation Bailey Chitori returns to…"

It was the middle of the afternoon, but Aiden thought he felt a sudden chill moving through the room.

"Aiden? You alright over there?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure," he said, glancing over at Lynne, who was trying to make small talk with one of the other customers. _She must not have heard. Good, at least for now, and Meg doesn't know who he is. Probably better off anyway; she'd probably try to interrogate the poor guy._ He was angry with Ben, for hurting Lynne, but _would_ feel a little bad if the crazed psychologist wannabe pounced on him in hopes of getting a little extra research in. Stressed as it were and beginning to have a bad feeling, the teen shook his head in hopes of clearing his thoughts a little. His gaze rested on Meghan who looked up from cleaning her glasses a moment later, then smiled as she gave a short wave. She still hadn't given up the sweater, but he didn't really mind _yet_. She wasn't the type of person to steal from him, and besides, it was hard to steal clothes when you were in the general vicinity as someone for most of the day (then again, that could change). He'd remind her to buy one in a few minutes. But for now, it was time to have a little relaxation before getting back on the old beaten path.


	6. The Phone

The Phone

 **Bit of a different chapter, to break from the dark things that have somehow become the norm. Oops? Hopefully more focus on the actual characters and not their pasts this round...**

 **SORRY FOR BEING LAZY. CHAPTER 7 IS ON THE WAY, BUT I CAN'T GUARANTEE HOW SOON. I'M BUSIER THN USUAL RECENTLY. KTHX.**

After we'd left the Pokémon Center, Lynne wanted to go in a Pokéball. It must have been hard for her, to be around me for as long as she was especially with how much I talk... she's very shy from what I can see and to be completely honest, seems a little weak for a Gardevoir. Probably just didn't get a lot of training in, or maybe none at all. I guess, though, another reason for her wanting to leave was that Pokémon Centers are always super, super cold.

"Hey, Meghan, have you seen my Pokédex?" Aiden asks, visibly confused as he searches the near-infinite depths of his standard trainer messenger bag.

"You don't have one," I remind. "Only a few people get picked for that, and besides, it's only once every four years or so.

"Oh, right. I meant my phone."

I stare at him for a moment. How is he even certified to be a trainer?

"I dunno where it is. Did you leave it at the Center?"

"Maybe," he stammers, not sure of himself again. "Aah, my parents bought it for my trip, I am so dead! I bent over to look at a book on one of the low shelves, so it could have fallen out of my pocket there. I'll go check!" He's running back to the store by the time I can say anything, but I catch his jacket collar at the last second to spin him in my direction.

"Aiden, calm down! We'll find your phone." He nods. "By the way, pay attention to the lights when you run across the street. It just turned green, and you could have been run over." Glancing back to where he almost met Yveltal, he nods Mareepishly. "Alright, now focus. Explain to me exactly what you were doing before we got here."

"Well, I was in the Pokémon Center."

"Okay."

"Looking at the stuff to buy. Books and the food I forgot last time. You were cleaning your glasses and whatever."

"Go on."

"You remembered to buy your sweater. It looks nice, just saying-"

"Focus, Aiden, but thank you." I feel a little heat flare onto my cheeks, and it's certainly not from the summer sun.

"I was watching the news while you did that."

"Uh huh." Is it just me, or is it getting warmer outside? Damned global warming, I bet.

"After that Lynne asked to go in the Pokéball and here we are."

"Right. Okay. Let's start by looking in the Center." We waited for the light to turn, which was awfully fast- though we _had_ been talking- then ran back, but I was having a little trouble breathing.

"You need to stop for a second?"

"Yeah, just, my, asthma." It would be awesome if we were somewhere else, but there must be a lot of smoke in the air. Or, maybe I _do_ need to work out more. After an embarrassingly long time of me looking like I couldn't run to save my life I catch my second wind and we begin to immediately scour the floor. I'm hoping no one stole it, for obvious reasons, but also because we _need_ our phones by now. If one of us is lost, hurt, et cetera, we can text the other or someone else to get help, but if he doesn't have a phone... His cry of pain reminds me I have a real life to get back to- where he's on the floor a few aisles over nearly in the fetal position clutching his nethers, and towering over him... is Bailey Chitoi. An involuntary squeak escapes me as the mild face-heat from a minute ago returns in full force.

"Arceus! Dude, _why?_ "

" _Sorry,_ Aiden, it's impulse! You should know that!"

Huh?

"Ohmy _gosh_ Aiden did he just knee you in the 'you know'? You are so lucky! You know who this is, right?"

"I don't feel lucky," he whimpers from the floor, adding a squeak of his own. They probably just bumped into each other, and being the _amazing totally awesome movie star_ he is, Bailey retaliated in reflexive self defense.

"Yeah he knows who I am," Sir Celebrity says, and instantly I'm all ears. "I used to babysit the little prick in seventh grade." A little clarification: before he became huge in the action movie and super-cute-guy bit, Bailey's family moved to Mauville City for a few years when he was younger. Aiden lived there his whole life, and my family moved from Sinnoh when I was two, I think.

"Yeah, you never let me do anything fun, you jerk," the casualty moans, though seeming eased up a little.

" _Your_ idea of fun was dangerous. I refuse to explain to your parents why you were lying in a pool of blood on the back lawn because you thought you could fly off the roof," my idol shoots back. "Especially not your mom. Would'a been two dead kids that night."

"Can I have your autograph? What's it like living in Hollywood? What was your favorite movie to do? Do you think maybe we could go on a date sometime-"

"Oh, calm yourself," he says, and now not only am I all ears; I'm also jelly on the floor. "I guess we could hang out sometime since you're a friend of Agent Stealth here, but anyway I'm on vacation. What about you?"

"We're not friends," my _traitorous_ best friend sighs from the floor, easing himself to a sitting position- though I nearly kick him in the exact same spot myself for that careless little remark. "I meant him and I," he justifies once he catches my glare.

"You're one of the only people I _remember_ with how much of a little stress magnet you were," Bailey snaps, glaring down at him, but compliment or insult I can't tell. "Oh, wait," he turns, "weren't you his friend who talked a mile a minute? Because I remember you moving here, and when I was going to see if there was anybody _my_ age, _you_ showed up."

He remembers me!

Not in a good way, but who cares!

"Whatever," Aiden grunts, carefully standing. "Either way, I have no hope of being a father and you get a week or whatever to slack off. Same old, same old."

"D'you want me to put you on the floor again?"

"I think I'll pass on that."

"Oh!" I almost yell. "Aiden! Your phone!"

"Yeah!" he says equally loud, seemingly recovered from his injury now.

"His phone? Did he lose it?" Bailey asks.

"Yes," came a much quieter reply. The star lifts the bag off Aiden before he can say anything, to begin rooting through it. "Hey! Give that back!"

"Oh, well would you look at that?" Bailey mocks, handing Aiden his Samsung and bag. "A brand new phone in the Pokéball pocket. You have not changed at _all_ , have you?"

"Shut up."

"Okay, let's everyone calm down," I offer quickly, seeing that this is obviously going nowhere even if the new kid fixed the current crisis. I'm still getting over the fact they know each other, strained relationship or not.

"You're telling us to calm down?" Aiden questions, sarcastically of course- "weren't you just asking him out on a-"

"I said nothing!" is my cover up, the first thing said at the 90 wpm I'm apparently known for. "Bailey, Aiden, why don't you guys go outside for... a Pokémon battle!" They think it over, and I may have just avoided a conflict, although narrowly. I just hope this battle doesn't start another fight.

"Whatever," they agree. "Let's go."

Aiden tells me on the way that he'll "forget" Lynne is there because she didn't seem to be in the mood for a battle earlier. "A day off," he'd called it, which I don't understand because she hasn't had a day _on_ yet. That leaves just Torchic, which I don't understand either because as far as I know, Bailey has a Swampert. My take on it is that Lynne might want to battle to, you know, improve her skill and level. I stay quiet though, because I know barely anything about her and even less about why she's stressed so easily. A very interesting person indeed. We arrive together, but Bailey has been waiting for us for about ten minutes namely for the fact he owns a car, and we have shoes. Thrilling. They dig out the respective Pokéballs, calling out their team. _One-on-one rules apply_ , I try to remember everything as I'm most likely going to end up being the ref today. _Battle until one Pokémon is unable to continue, if neither can, it's a draw..._ I didn't pay as much attention in the battling unit of Pokémon class so much as the Psychology everything, which I now regret a tiny bit. Torchic takes one glance at his opponent, who is indeed a Swampert, turns around and walks toward the park exit in his own way of saying 'I ain't touching that.'

"Wait, Torchic, where are you going?" Aiden demands, as if the Pokémon could respond in perfectly fluent English (Actually, Lynne is in the next Pokéball over, so...). "Hey! Come back!" The ensuing chase takes another two minutes at least, during which Aiden doesn't realize he can use a Pokéball to catch Torchic way faster. Or maybe he did, but just wanted to run around. Bailey is laughing, but I can tell he's getting restless so I run to the Olympic sprinters, snatch them by the collars, and march them back to the circle.

"There, battle. He doesn't have all day." Everyone looks at me in disbelief, as if it was so rare for me to get mad. Okay, maybe it is...

"Torchic! Use Scratch!" Aiden commands with the authority of an Army captain and the posture of a city boy. Torchic carries out his task, giving Swampert a pretty good cut. The pair look at the scratch, each other, and then Torchic makes his hasty retreat back to Aiden's side.

"Swampert, Water Gun," Bailey says, with less power in his voice but more boredom than anything. Only a few seconds later Torchic is completely drenched, and because of the obvious weakness, faints almost immediately.

"Damnit! Damnit, damnit, damnit!"

"Aiden..."

"Why did I even-"

"Aiden!"

"What!" he yells in return, equally loud, but with a bit more poison in his voice. I see a little bit of his mother come out in that one (don't get me wrong, she's super super nice, but don't get her mad).

"Pay Bailey and let's go!" I think it's rubbing off on me, but he's being really difficult right now and I don't know what else to do. He pays; I practically drag him onto the forest path just after he retrieves his bird, all while Bailey's curious eyes are fixed on my retreating back. I can tell.

"What is it?" he says, much quieter now that he's had a few seconds to calm down.

"You're being a total ass back there! Just because Bailey tried to keep you alive in first grade doesn't mean you need to be a jerk to him."

"Well, just because you want to make out with a guy doesn't mean I gotta treat him like the President!" His anger is returning slowly.

"Actually, _one_ President isn't getting a whole lot of respect right now, so unless you mean him- wait a minute! _What_?" He stays quiet after that, and I really am at the end of my rope for today. Why am I so impatient recently? It doesn't matter at the moment, because I want to be alone. I head further down the path, where the map told me that a river flows through nearby- and sure enough, the rustling water can be heard through some brush just... over... there. A log sits in front of the bank, too. Perfect. It calms me for a minute, until I hear someone else coming through. I expect it to be Aiden, explaining why I don't even glance in the huge hit's general direction until he says

"Hey."

"Bailey!" I nearly scream in surprise, not fangirlism this time. "Why did you follow me?"

"You seemed mad, or something. You seem... different than I remember. Is something wrong?" He sits at the other end of the fallen tree, and I find it's not as elating as I'd thought- maybe Aiden _was_ right about me just wanting to kiss 'the cute guys'.

"No, it's just that Aiden can be a real jerk sometimes," I say to myself as I readjust my glasses, almost hoping he doesn't hear.

"He's not so bad," Bailey laughs. "He's just being like that because I won the battle so easily."

"I guess," is all I can think of. _Real smooth, Meg. 'I guess'? Total lame answer._ "I'm mad because I feel like his mother sometimes, 'cause of all the times I have to look out for him. He almost got ran over today, and you know what happened with the phone. I like being his friend and stuff, but it's exhausting sometimes." Confession Time with Meghan. Pull up a chair and popcorn.

"Wait. Friend?" Bailey stops me before I can tell him anything else. "I thought you two were together; or at least rooming up." Just like that my face goes a deep red for the third time in probably an hour.

"No! Nonono! We're just friends," I say hastily, thinking that maybe we did do a couple things today that might seem otherwise.

"Arceus, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm talking about." Now would be a good time to make him feel better with a little normal conversation, I decide.

"You're dating Lacey, right?"

"Yeah. Lacey Surray." His face relaxes a little, but I pick it up. This is going well.

"What's she like?"

"Oh, she's very shy, but it's cute. Sometimes we just cuddle on the couch for hours watching shows and stuff when I have a day off."

"Don't you fight at all?"

"Oh sure we do," he confesses- his turn- "sometimes about how good she looks today, sometimes whether to go out at all that day. She has anxiety and she's really self-conscious, so it's usually the starting grounds for most of our fights."

Oh, to hell with it.

"Bailey? Do you think Aiden likes me?"

"As a friend, sure, but I don't know about any love interest stuff," he says after a few moments. "This is the first time I've seen you guys in what, five, six years at least?"

"Do you think he ever will?"

"I really don't know - Meghan, right?" I nod. "I can't say anything for sure. If I'm being completely honest, a couple of Lacey and I's first dates were disasters," he chuckles. "One time, when it was only in the first few months I took her to a skating rink. With all due respect to my lady, it turned out that she can't skate for shit."

"Really?" I giggle as well, trying to imagine them in the middle of a skating rink disaster.

"Yeah. I half expected her not to call me back, but here we are. Anyway. I need to book my hotel room and stuff, can we talk again sometime?"

"Um, y- yeah s-sure!" I stutter, very obviously flustered. _It's just the star-meeting-fan let's talk again thing,_ I tell myself repeatedly.

Right on cue, here comes Aiden as soon as Bailey leaves.

"What do you want," I mutter, not really wanting to see him right now.

"I don't know," is the reply as he sits directly beside me. I'm supposed to be angry but my heart rate rises 10 bpm anyway.

"I'm going downriver to see if I can find a shady spot to bath," I jump up quickly. " _Don't_ follow me." Alright, this isn't about him, I just find it easier to think when surrounded by water. Nearly forgetting the soap and towel, I search the bank for a tree, group of bushes, anything… there! Sweater, shirt, bra, pants, underwear (socks and shoes now that we're outside), slip into liquid heaven. I figured they would, but my thoughts decided to mostly be about Aiden. My heart rate jumped earlier- I'd been questioning it for a while. Am I okay with being just friends? Or would it _just_ be a big mistake? I glance at the rest of my body submerged in water. _Maybe I'm not pretty enough. Maybe I'm not giving the right hints. Maybe he just doesn't_ want _a relationship yet. That I could understand, I guess._ My ringtone buzzes out its tune a few feet away, distracting me from the bath.

 _U forgot your change of clothes do u want me to bring them_

Arceus _. This_ is going to be bad.


	7. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

**Horseshoes and Hand Grenades**

 **Guess whose bag containing the laptop and binder for ALL the FWWF material got stolen ;D (dw I got it back) AND SORRY, I WAS TRYING TO UPLOAD SOONER BUT FF DIDN'T CARE FOR THAT IDEA. Also sorry for the length.**

This is not good at all. Her bag is still here, and she's somewhere in the river. What's wrong with this picture? The fact that her change of clothes are in that bag.

Aiden 3:56PM » you left your clothes here do you want me to bring them

Meghan 3:58PM » give me a minute

Meghan 4:01PM » kk bring them dont get ideas

I obediently carry the bag downriver wondering why she thought I'd get any ideas in the _first_ place. Meghan was always the smarter one of us, well- at least when she wasn't insane from some obsession (the most recent being Bailey).

"Aiden! I'm back here!" Towel wrapped around her body, she yells from the riverbank with a look of utter annoyance: one I know all too well. I drop the bag beside her and making my getaway, trip up on a rock. Meghan lets a giggle escape but by the time I look she's clapped her free hand over her mouth. As soon as I'm back at the park I collapse into the grass, playing catch with myself using Lynne's ball. _She won't want to get out yet; it hasn't even been two hours._ I catch myself staring at someone, hoping they didn't notice before I did. _It's nice out here; they must keep this park pretty clean. Unlike the one that opened at home... that place is still_ kind _of nice, but seems to have a death grip on litter._

"Hey, I'm back," Meghan chirps, her mood evidently improved because of the bath. I glance up just as she pulls the new sweater over her chest and down, then frowns at it. "I don't know if I like this so much anymore." It's white with an orange strip running down the front and back, and an orange-grey hood.

"What? It looks fine to me. Besides, what's that saying you have about sweaters?"

"Oversized hoodies are wearable hugs."

"Right."

"I still don't know. It seems too bright for me."

"Too bright?" I say, confused about how it's too bright for the girl who has little sayings like "oversized hoodies are wearable hugs."

"Yeah, a little. Maybe next time we go to a city I'll look around... but I'll give it a chance for now."

"Good," I agree, thinking about my own choice of clothes. I'd been wearing this jacket since like, 8th grade- it was too big then- and everyone probably thinks it's getting old. "If anyone should change, it's me," I offer lamely.

"Are you kidding? That jacket is your thing. You've been rocking it since grade 8."

"Really?" I'd never thought of it that way. To me, it seemed more like I was the person who showed up in the same clothes, every day, to the point everyone else wanted to tell me to go home and change it already.

"Sure, what is it? A collector's or something? I've never seen a dark blue one like that. Maybe it's worth a whole load of money. Maybe you can sell it."

"I don't know, actually. I'll ask my dad, he's the one who gave it to me. Silence creeps up on us until we're glancing around searching for something to talk about. "So, how was... your bath?"

"Good." She plops down in front of me, hair flipping out behind her which I notice because it's always in a ponytail. It looks a little nicer this way. "I thought about what I want to do."

"Like what?"

"For starters, we're going to get you out of these cities. It's bad for my asthma, and the readers don't want us sticking around here anyway. They want action, and battles."

"Who's-"

"We'll also need money soon. I vote we pool it as long as we're traveling together- I have battle money and you have the extra from your parents, right?"

"Yes?" I pose my answer in the form of a question, uneasy about where she was going with this.

"Last question. Are you prone to losing things including but not limited to wallets, purses, or spare change?"

"Purses- what- Meghan, I don't-"

"Are you?"  
"Yes! You know me."

"All right then, I need your wallet."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Don't worry Aiden, I'm not going to rob you. I'll just keep them safe for us!"

"I don't know..."

"Come on! We're best friends, I won't spend it on anyth-"

"Okay, okay!" I cut her off for once when I press my wallet into her hand.

"Great! I'm ready to go set up camp now!" So am I. It takes fifteen minutes to get back to the path and find an unoccupied clearing, but we do eventually. I'm in charge of the fire again, while Meghan looks for something other than soup to eat. I told her that the only other thing there ever is are berries that usually are strictly for Pokémon, but she left anyway. That usually means she wants to be alone for a little while. I follow fire procedure: clear the area of flammable material, keep water nearby, set wood up in a triangular position, and light it with the campfire lighter I'd bought to save time. The fire flicks to life with a puff of red, yellow and orange, and I lose myself in it for a second before turning away to sit on one of the rocks to wait for Meghan... when I realize she can't be around smoke. Damnit.


	8. Before the Carnival

**Chapter 8**

 **Before the Carnival**

 **[Meghan]**

 _I know! I'll tell him that I'm just not feeling like myself today. That'd explain the mood swing._ I pick a few more berries from the brush for my bag, searching my mind for who liked which ones. _I have no idea what I'll do._ A tree rustles sharply a few feet away, some new berries I haven't seen before dropping from its branches. As I lean to gather them as well, the tree shakes again with a little more violence.

"There you go!" Aiden cheers in the distance: he must be training someone. _I'm not mad anymore... so why did I come out here like this?_ "Torchic, come on out! Alright, let's practice agility. When Torchic uses Ember, dodge it!" _What!?_

"Aiden! No, wait! You can't-" I jump through the leaves into a clearing, then another bush to where the two are getting prepared for battles. "Torchic!" I scream, diving toward the chick Pokémon with my _own_ Tackle attack just as he formulates a burst of flame. We collide into the dirt together, rocks cutting into Torchic's body, though I take the worst of it.

"Meghan! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I nudge myself into a sitting position with Torchic still in my arms, even though I feel a drip of blood jumping off my forearm. "Don't use Ember for practicing agility, okay? If Lynne gets hurt, you'll have to use a Burn Heal, which you need to save for a real battle."

"Torchic is a Fire-type. They specialize in hot stuff."

"Well use Tackle, or get Torchic to try small kicks. It's not that hard." _I'm getting frustrated again. Calm down!_ "Don't use moves that can cause a status condition, otherwise she'll get hurt and you'll feel like a total jerk. I know you." He drops his head for a Mareepish nod as I settle down Torchic lightly on the ground, with a brushoff of apology for tossing him into the dirt. He gazes up at me in pure confusion. "Sorry," I **say**. "I think I'll stay here now," I then mention to no one in particular, carefully taking a spot in the rough grass to watch my friends train.

"Torchic, try a simple tackle like Meghan said." He nods and runs toward his frenemy, bashing his tiny orange head into her leg.

"Aww, you're so cute.. woah... woah!" Lynne, forgetting to maintain balance what with the absence of feet, tries hastily to steady herself but fails, falling butt-first into the dirt near me. I kill a laugh before it hits my throat, immediately feeling guilty for it.

"You okay?" I nod to her, trying to redeem myself.

"Yeah," she eases back up to a standing position. "Ready!"

"Scratch!" Torchic charges for her legs again, but Lynne simply steps out of the way for everyone to witness the bird careening into a tree. "I mean, that works for him, but..." I stand too: maybe I can help.

"Maybe if Torchic jumps up. And if Lynne were to move more quickly?" Torchic shakes off his confusion while Lynne's piercingly large eyes stare up at me seeming a little hurt. "You're doing great, but try something like this," I say, as I jump backwards by kicking off with my right foot. "In close-range attacks, you could probably avoid them at the last-ditch second."

"Close range..?" She gives me a head tilt.

"Close range. Like, see, if I were to punch you-" I begin a demonstration swing, but she flinches so I stop- "that would be a close range attack, because we're close to each other."

"Okay."

"So if you jumped back like I showed you before I hit you, you could avoid it."

"Okay."

I notice Aiden nodding approvingly on the side, which makes me a little happy. He studied battling techniques and strategies while I was poring over science textbooks; so if I'm right, it's a little impressive.

"Wait," I pause to think. "Lynne, haven't you battled at _all_? Even when you were in the wild?"

"She's fairly new to being a Gardevoir," Aiden cuts in, seeming to switch sides without a second thought. "I doubt she did much as a Kirlia, and all Ralts know is Growl and Teleport at best."

"Then how did she-" My voice jumps a couple levels on the pitch scale. "Never mind. Continue."

"Torchic, you ready?" The fire birb fluffs itself, nips at its left wing twice and nods. "Run to her, but jump and use Scratch!" He valiantly obeys with a dash and a leap toward her waist but she hops back the way I did.

"Perfect!" I cheer. She smiles with pride in herself.

"Do it again!" His partner repeats the process but instead of jumping normally, he waits until she tries to escape and _then_ makes his move. Small wings flapping furiously he flies near the top of a tree and goes into a straight-down dive toward Lynne's head. _I wish I knew this was going to happen so I could play that dive-bombing plane sound effect._ She gasps and tries to evade the speed demon, but it's evidently useless as a beak newly primed for Peck attacks crashes into her back.  
"Ow!" She winces but gets back up without too much struggle.  
"Awesome! You learned Peck, right?" Aiden praises. Torchic nods again, and I swear I can see a smile on his little face. "Good work Lynne, you helped Torchic learn Peck!" A pleased expression finds its way back to her eyes with the congratulation. She picks him up for a hug to share her happiness, he responds with nuzzling into her chest affectionately. _Hey, he's getting better at training Pokémon. She feels better already!_ When kudos goes around the circle and everyone is in a good mood Lynne sets him back down. And the training continues…

An hour or three later Torchic has been run ragged and Lynne's legs look like a Skitty's scratching post.

"Hey, Lynne, come here a second," I search the depths of my trainer bag. "I think I have some Potions and bandages in here."

"It's okay," she rolls her pant legs back down trying to hide the marks, but they are obviously there.

"They're scratches, they might get infected," I warn, though I have no idea what I'm talking about. It's only bits and pieces I've picked up: I absolutely adore psychology, but my first aid skill goes a very small distance past the checkpoint of band-aid application. "You could get sick if it gets infected."

Her eyes flick to my Potion, down to her legs, back at my Potion. After a moment of nervous silence she slowly picks her way across the littered grass and finds a seat on the rock I've set my messenger bag on. "This might sting a little," I caution; she nods and squeezes her eyes closed in anticipation. Her breath hitches a little as I spray the healing solvent on her exposed legs, but like that it's over and I wipe the cuts clean with a cloth, finishing off with a few bandages on the worst ones.

"Thank you," her voice is barely audible but I know she said it.

"It's no problem." I do my best to smile reassuringly but I'm worried it came off as a little creepy.

She goes off back to Aiden, says something to him, and is absorbed into the pulse of a Poké Ball. He comes to me next, picking up Torchic and pocketing the device. Torchic nestles into his arms with a content chirp and looks pleased as punch to be finished training for the day.

"We should go to a Pokémon Center," he begins, as if it was breaking news.

"That would probably be a good idea," I turn a stream of wayward hair behind my ear. "Especially after all that, you know, battling and stuff." He gives me a look and sets off toward the path we were just on. _Sigh._

"Aiden?"

"What?"

"Might be nice to take a break for today. You already unpacked everything."

He stops completely, spins around, and goes back to our campsite. I follow close behind with an alert shiver- the evening will probably be coming soon. Camp is already set up, so at least we won't have to do too much work tonight, if any. The two- well, technically three if you count Torchic- of us sit on the boulder I'd been organizing my bag on.

"So," Aiden says after a brief silence.

"So?" I prod after another.

"Do you think we should go to sleep early?"

"It's only like, five."

"We're probably going to be walking all day tomorrow, though. If we sleep now, we'll be up early to get going." I roll the idea around in my head for a moment. _We'll probably wake up around sunrise if we sleep now, but do I want to start travelling off that early?_ _Fine. It's best to cover as much ground as possible, I guess._

"Okay then." I unzip my sleeping bag at nearly the same time Aiden does his, but I crawl in faster. Lynne appears beside him, to ask if she can sleep outside too. We both nod approval- what's the big deal? She won't hurt us or anything, so with our consent she curls up back to back with him.

"Oh, you don't have to sleep in the grass, you'll get your clothes dirty. Come on, you can sleep in here," he offers, rolling out of the portable bed.

"I'll be okay," she assures in a dropped voice, having not moved from her spot.

"We can wash the clothes," I remind them both quickly before turning over to try to get some deserved sleep. Falling asleep is easier than usual tonight.

I quickly wake up in a cold sweat, alone in the dirt. It's super cold out. Did it turn into autumn overnight?

"Aiden? Lynne? Torchic?" Silence creeps over my skin like a thousand Wurmples. I shiver again, tugging up my sweater collar. "Guys? You didn't leave me here, did you?" When I sit up, I survey the surroundings: the flashlight batteries have died overnight, and his stuff is gone. Mine is too, somehow even the sleeping bag. He took everything and left me here alone in the spider-like black of the night. Then I fall back asleep, hoping to find some answers in the morning…

Just as I open my eyes again Aiden lays a hand on my shoulder and shakes gently twice.

"Come on Meg, we're leaving like, right now."

"Yeah, very funny," I shoot with a surprisingly hostile tone. He jumps back like my words were calcium oxide, utterly confused at my glare.

"What? What did I do?"

"You- you left me with nothing, asshole! Why would you do that?"

"Leave you with- Meghan! What are you talking about? Lynne and I were here the entire night; I only woke up twenty minutes ago!"

"Wait," Lynne's calm floods our minds. "I had a dream last night," she suggests. _But what does it have to do with me?_ I ask her this, and she responds with a story of a dream that was exactly identical to mine.

 _Wait a second._

"Lynne? What's your type?"

"Psychic and Fairy, I think.." Then it hits me. They didn't leave, but she must have "projected" her dream to me when she was asleep. After explaining and her verification, all is forgiven just in time for Aiden to get excited for the walk. _He's like a Lillipup sometimes. Wanna go for walkies?_

"Aiden, can you get my stuff ready for me? Just this morning?" I ask over my shoulder.

"You owe me a favor."

"Yeah sure, whatever," I stand and stretch, then go to Lynne who seems to draw into herself every step I get closer.

"Are you okay?" I make sure to be quiet in case there's something secret.

"Yes, why?"

"Oh. You seem a little sad. And that dream was scary."

"It's nothing. And the dream was… normal… for me."

"Really?" I tone down my personality for the serious moment.

"Yes. But I know it doesn't happen in real life."

"Good. We'd never just leave you alone, okay? Aiden might be a little weird, and he can be a jerk sometimes-"

"Hey!" He must have heard.

"-but he really does care about you, even if he doesn't always know how to show it." She nods, and once I'm sure she sees my point I scratch her hair. She may not want to right now, but she's smiling with her eyes closed. I reach up with another hand to pet both sides.

"Are you petting her?"

"Yeah, why not? Pokémon like being petted, right?" Lynne nods slightly. "Though, we do need to get going soon."

"Oh, right. I'm finished packing your things by the way," Aiden shoulders his backpack and sets my bag on the ground not at all gently. _At least there's nothing_ _breakable in there._

She gazes at me with a despondent aura but turns quickly to him, asking where we'll go. "I dunno. Go on the road for a while. You can battle a little, train, get Torchic some more levels."

"Why would I battle for you? You don't even have any badges yet."

"Yes I do! I have the Stone Badge." He takes his badge case out of the side pocket of his bag for proof, which she and I inspect closely.

"You only have the Stone Badge?" I peer up over the edge of my glasses.

"Yeah. Stone Badge. What's wrong with that?"

"For one, Lynne's not gonna listen to you until you get more. Two, the next gym is on the other side of the country! And not to mention, on an island!" My words increase in volume so that I'm yelling by the last one. I'd expected her to get nervous, but she's actually nodding agreement.

"Okay, okay! We can still walk! It'll only take a few days."

"Not with you it won't," I mutter, massaging my temples. "Look, Aiden, you have to take this seriously."

"I know! But hey, wait, before you get all stressed out-"

"Too late."

"Or mad-"

"Try again, friend."

"Whatever. We get to go home for a few hours or so."

"I guess that's true," I nudge my glasses back up. "But no stopping anywhere else. Straight to Mauville, then we keep going."

"Okay."

"Then let's go. Lynne? Go in a Poké Ball, or walk with us?"

"I'll walk. It's nice today." _She seems to be getting better with English, and at being around me._

"Sounds good." We finalize the plan for our destination: Mauville City, then home, then Dewford.

"It's been half an hour. How are there no Pokémon?"

"Aiden. There's one in the tallgrass right there."

"Oh! Oh, there is!" The unknown lifts its head to see what all the yelling is about, growling at Aiden when it puts two and two together. "A Poochyena! I've never caught one!"

"You've never caught a Poochyena."

"Well I've battled them, sure, to level up Torchic, but not caught." I pause at this information.

"You forgot to buy extra Poké Balls, didn't you?" He darts his eyes to the left, away from

Lynne and I.

"Maybe."

"You can borrow one of mine."

"Really?"

"One. If it breaks, you're paying for it."

"Fine. Lynne, how about a good old battle to lift your spirits, huh?"

She says nothing but crosses her arms instead, telling him all he needs to know.

"Alright then, Torchic! I'll use you!" His bird pops into the plush grass only to distractedly begin pecking for seeds.

"I mean for a battle!"

Lynne giggles slightly. I smile.

Torchic notices the wild Poochyena, quickly hopping to his position in front of Aiden, both prepared to fight.

"Torchic, Ember!" Poochyena tries to avoid the flame but is struck on the hind leg anyway. It lunges for Torchic and swiftly nips his wing, then returns to the defensive stance. I switch my attention to Lynne, quickly losing interest in the battle. "Where did you get that sweater, anyway? It looks good on you."

"Oh, when.. when I saw you… like, the first time? Aiden got it in that place."

"Oh right, right. And that was when you were getting food and all that."

"Mhm."

"Do you know how much it-" I stop myself. _No, no Meghan, you just got a new sweater. You'll be fine._

"Torchic, Scratch!" In my peripheral I catch him jumping for Poochyena, raking his claws across its snout. Once he's back Aiden lobs a Poké Ball in the general direction of the wild Pokémon, and 'in the general direction' would be a compliment. The ball rolls away at its own pace daring Aiden to catch up. "Wait here, Poochyena. I'll be right back."

"No wonder he only has a Stone Badge, huh?" I whisper to Lynne. She giggles again, a cute little sound that still has a shard of her natural Gardevoir cry. Poochyena sits patiently, an odd trait for it to have.

"Yeah. Can I ask question?" Lynne nearly has to crane her neck up to look at me.

"A question," I correct, hoping for the love of Arceus that it wouldn't come off as a superiority complex. "But sure, what is it?"

"What's your home like?"

"Well we'll be there in a day or so, so you can see for yourself, but it's kind of a small city with a big business, a Gym, some houses..."

"But your home?" She fumbles on her words a little, whether from nervousness or trouble speaking English I can't tell. "Can I see that?"

"You want to come over?" I feel my eyebrows lift about six inches and immediately cringe. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Yes, to see your home. And Aiden's home… and…"

"And?" She bends her head down to choose her words.

"Is Aiden's home… my home?" The sudden drop of volume and the amount of emotion in her voice hits me like an overdose of Dexedrine straight to the bloodstream.

"Well that's an awfully hard question, but I'd say so. You're on his team, aren't you? When you're on someone's team, you live with them, and play with them and become best friends, you know?"

"Yeah!" Her negative emotions fade away to clear room for a small smile that lifts both of our moods.

"Hey! I caught it! I caught it!" Aiden is almost shrieking with excitement by the time he gets to us, and I think this time Lynne isn't the only one who's weirded out. I clap slowly and dramatically but Lynne, not knowing the intent of the elaborately constructed slow-clap method passed down through the Archati family for generations, begins to copy me obviously thinking it was praise.

"You guys suck." I feel guilty for Lynne's expression quickly swapping confusion for hurt, though it was Aiden who retaliated. _She's fragile._

"Well- no, no Lynne, you don't suck, but uh, Meg does. Only Meg sucks."

"Hey!"  
"Shut up, Meg."

"Did you just use a Family Guy line on me!?"

"I dunno. I don't watch that."

"Oh." A three-second pause. "Wait just one minute, Aiden!"

"Terra Cave. Great." Aiden does not seem enthusiastic about this.

"Do we have to?" Lynne sounds even smaller than usual. "There's another way, right?"

"Nope," Aiden shakes his head defeatedly. "Only way through is through."

"We'll be right here," I try my best to comfort her too. "Do you want to hold my hand on the way?" She shrinks for a millisecond but forces herself to break the self-induced tension by reaching out, slowly, for my hand. I smile to her. "It'll be okay. We're right here with you."

"You know if you want, you could go in a Poké Ball."

"Aiden, you told me you didn't have any!"

"Okay, so none except a spare I'd been keeping for emergencies. Which turned out to be Lynne," who tugs at my hand as if she were a child.

"Stop fighting," she says, still softly. I glance to Aiden, he's already looking at me.

"Okay. Let's go." I press on with the walk, making sure to keep Lynne close. _She's probably afraid because she's weak to Ground-types. Or was it Rock?_ She comes nearer to me as the cave goes on, casting more furtive glances to the walls. Then I get the idea. _When Aiden gets just a little… closer…_ There! I latch onto his hand as well.

"Don't tell me you're scared too."

"A little," I lie, though now that I think about it, this cave is awfully dark. _Never mind, I'm scared now._ Nonetheless, we make it through unharmed though a bit annoyed by the, like, fifty Zubats that kept coming at us. Lynne breathes a deep sigh of relief and everyone lets go of each other at once. "Hey look! Mauville is right there!" We go straight from carefully picking our way through rocks to full-on sprinting through the grass, excited to be that much closer to home.


	9. Psyshock

**Chapter 9**

 **Psyshock**

 **[Aiden]**

 **A/N: New system- odd numbered chapters (1,3,5) are Aiden's POV. Even numbered chapters (2,4,6) except tens are from Meghan's side.**

 **A/N 2: This one's a bit rushed. Sorry.**

"Mauville City!" I cheer excitedly, pushing open the doors to the breathtaking complex. A few people lean against

Meghan's close behind, struggling for air because she had to run to keep up with me.

"Slow, down! I can't… I can't breathe!"

"Sorry," I come to a full stop, holding the door open for her. She brushes a thin film of sweat from her forehead, still panting, but nods acceptance. "Maybe take off that heavy sweater next time you go for a jog," I tease, sending up a prayer that she knows it's a joke.

"It's my asthma, dummy," she playfully swings at my head with the excess of her sleeve, but still pulls up and over by the waistline and hood while she walks down the long hall to the central hub. "You knew that."

"I did. Where do you want to go first? Or should we keep walking?"

She holds up her phone against the glare of the powerful overhead lights with both hands, wiping the screen with her shirt first.

"It's only 10:32. We can stop for some breakfast, oh! You need to get some Poké Balls. Actually…" She focuses on my shoes with a pensive expression. "You should probably start getting Great Balls instead. I've heard the Pokémon get more powerful from here on out."

"What are you talking about?" I narrow my eyes to doubtful slits, pointing out the way we'd just come in. "You'd think they'd be more powerful out on 118, not 117."

"Well, get some Great Balls anyway," she dismisses, taking a moment to look around for a place to eat.

I shrug. She does have a point- whether we'll be on Route 117 or 118, there's going to be a Pokémon at some point that I won't be able to catch without a little extra oomph.

"Crooner's Café is over there," I point to the sign just inside the west entrance.

"Oh! Do you want to go there?"

"As long as I can eat," I shrug again, raising a hand to my stomach. "I'm starting to feel malnourished."

She laughs, opting to throw her sweater over-the-shoulder rather than carry it. In the few minutes it takes us to walk there's a spattering of "hello"s and "from around here?"s, though I think they're directed more towards Meghan instead of me. Backing into the door I hold out my open palm for 'our' money, but she shakes her head.

"I'm keeping it. Don't worry, I'll stay cheap," she assures, though it doesn't rest my thoughts too much. I do trust her to carry all the cash- we practically trust each other with our lives- but at the same time it still worries me beyond belief. "Do you think they'd serve Pokémon here?"

I bring up a hand to cup around my chin.

"Probably. I think it was in Plumeria or one of those small towns after that, that Lynne and I ate there. They had no problem serving her." As I finish speaking I catch an elderly man lighting a cigarette in my peripheral, which is not only rare but lucky.

Meghan yelps a little when I jerk her inside by tugging at her waist, then glaring at me as if I'd tried to pull her shirt off.

"What was that for!?"

"There was someone smoking over there," I lean against the glass doors hoping to catch a glimpse if they're done yet, but I doubt it.

"I'm not that bad," she says, her eyebrows lifting a little as her breath relaxes. "If we were in a smaller space though, I'd be done for, on account of there's no fresh air coming in." The smallest of smiles rises over her chin. "But thanks. It's nice to know you're thinking of that now."

"Hey!" I exclaim in self defense. "I always am."

"You are not," she snickers, but lightly punches my shoulder anyway. "Let's get to Crooner's before you 'die of malnutrition.'"

"Welcome to Crooner's Café," a short-but-cute blonde waitress greets us.

A TV is turned up sharply a few meters away from us, but quickly muted after a second or two. "Would you like a table or booth?"

Meghan and I exchange glances and even more shrugs.

"Booth," I say quickly but still politely.

The waitress leads us to one near the back, and while it's what we asked for- I'm a little put off by the location. It looks fairly comfortable though, red upholstered seats framed in dark oak wood, table made of the same variant. The windows offer a unique view of Route 117, flowers swaying right to left and back again and a slowly flowing creek right alongside them.

The waitress interrupts the momentary serenity. "Would you like the menus, or can I recommend the couple's special for today?"

Meghan's face quickly colors with swatches redder than her hair.

"No," I laugh nervously, "we're not a couple. We'll have the menus."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she retracts as if she'd just been ordered a formal apology. "Here are your menus."

"Thank you," Meghan and I say in unison, but she quickly buries her nose in the menu. I give it a few fleeting glances but at the moment, the basket for breadsticks has my attention. In the place of breadsticks are small round biscuits that have a shiny glaze and either a salt or sugar coating. "What are these?" I try to start the conversation back up.

"M-mal-malasadas," she sputters, but forces herself to focus. "I think my mom made them once. They're from, um, what's that place? Alola."

"Are you okay?" I lean toward her, our eyes meeting for a second or two before hers jump to the basket.

"I'm fine. No, great! I'm doing great!" The words come out sounding unusually chewed-up, like they barely had any processing on the way from her brain.

"Are you sure? You've been acting weird since…"

Remember that part about her face having color? Well, it's the opposite of that now.

"...we came in here."

"Oh, nothing, nothing," she waves me off while simultaneously reaching for a malasa-whatever-she-said.

I stop her hand with mine, intentionally making eye contact.

"Is everything alright? You know I'll be here for you, right?"

"Okay," her head droops with an utterly defeated expression. "I've been wanting to tell you something for a while n-"

"I knew I recognized you two!"

I turn my head to the left with a groan. Meghan whips her warning gaze out, then just as quickly swaps out into her friendly smile. It seems different though.

"Hey, Bailey! Who's with you?"

 _With him?_

There is someone with him. A girl no older than 11 or 12 tags along behind, clutching a receipt tightly as if it were a lifesaver.

"Oh, this is my sister, Mar," he sets a hand on her shoulder, seeming a lot less bitchy than last time we saw him. "We bumped into each other here- well, Mauville anyway- so I'm taking her to lunch."

"Bailey, the bill!" Mar thrusts her receipt-containing fist into his chest; not a punch, but not very gently either.

"Yes, thank you," he plucks it from her hand and sets it in his back pocket. Mar covers her face with both hands and sighs deeply. "She just got back from Alola with Aunt Lucy last week."

"Oh really?" Now Meghan is using 'pleasantly surprised'. "We were just talking about it!" She turns her attention to the younger Trainer. "Did you notice they have malasadas instead of breadsticks?"

"Yeah, I love them! I wish I could buy them all."

"Me too," Meghan sighs dreamily like they were talking about cute boys.

Mar squeezes in beside me, reaching for the wicker basket of foreign treats.

"Hey, I caught a Lycanroc!" she proudly declares through a mouthful of malasada.

"A Lycanroc?" Meghan cocks her head a little.

"Yeah, her name-" Swallow. "-is Courage. Wanna see her?"

I nod enthusiastically at the same time as Meg. Pokémon always interest me. Besides, Mar seems pretty normal, unlike her brother.

The one I assume is Lycanroc materializes on the floor, laying down politely even before the red gradation fades off. She resembles Pokémon like Mightyena or Houndoom, but with much more color.

"Hello down there," Meghan fearlessly extends an open palm for Courage to sniff.

She tentatively sets her nose to the hand, then a small lick. Meghan places a malasada on the floor with her free hand, removing the other from Courage's reach. She sniffs the treat for a second, quickly takes it by chunks and rests her head back on her paws.

"Oh!" Bailey snaps his fingers with an epiphany. "Aiden, didn't you have a Gardevoir last time we saw each other?"

"Yeah," I say nonchalantly, but still get a shiver that crawls down my spine.

"That's so weird," he sets a finger into pursed lips. "My cousin had one that ran away. Or was it a Kirlia?"

"I don't know." The shiver returns. "We met when she was a Gardevoir, and besides, she said she's not very experienced in battling."

"She said?"

"Well- telepathically, anyway, I mean." _Shit! Cover up now!_

He squints with suspicion at me.

"I don't know. It's probably nothing, just forget it."

Meghan and Mar are turning looks between Bailey and I, both not having any idea what we're talking about. The shiver comes back again, but it slightly racks my entire body. The three of them all look at me now.

"Well, come on, I think I'm full," I stand, taking Meghan's hand and her sweater with my other. "Let's go pay."

"But Aiden, we didn't even-" I pull her with me, hoping she picked up the frantic signalling in my eyes. _This does_ not _bode well._ I rush us to the counter, pay for the malasadas we took, and get out before anyone- including Meg- can ask questions.

\- End Third-Person POV -

Back at the cafe, Mar and Bailey exchange confused glances.

"Just a second," Bailey holds his hand up. "I have to go to the bathroom, just wait here."

"Okay," Mar plops into the booth. Her brother speedwalks to the washrooms, ducks into a stall, and opens up his phone. Tap, tap, tap…

"Yo, Ben? That Kirlia you said someone kidnapped? I _might_ have some information on what happened."


End file.
